Ian Lisman CGET T RAINING : O UTREACH S TRATEGIES April 13, pm

N ATIONAL V ETERANS T ECHNICAL A SSISTANCE C ENTER (NVTAC)  Advocates for Human Potential (AHP);  National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV); and the  U.S. Department of Labor, Veterans Employment and Training Services (DOL-VETS). 2

W HAT IS R EQUIRED IN THE SGA 3 Today we are talking about….Outreach

W HAT IS R EQUIRED IN THE SGA: O UTREACH 4 Outreach (0 to 10 points)  The outreach section is worth 10 points out of 100 total points  A focus on avoiding duplication!

W HY O UTREACH ? Connecting and engaging veterans who are homeless or at-risk to inform them about the employment services at HVRP and to determine their readiness for employment and potential eligibility for the program. 5

O UTREACH O BJECTIVES 6  Immediate objectives:  Promote awareness of the HVRP program to the community  Help the HVRP learn about supportive services in the community  Longer term objectives:  Open up a process of reciprocal referrals with community partners  Increase service options for enrolled veterans  Enhance placement and retention

O UTREACH C HARACTERISTICS 7  Targeted and Purposeful  Timely and Strategic  Structured and Organized

O UTREACH A UDIENCES 8  Employers (industry, employers and employer associations)  Homeless veterans  Partner agencies (local entities within their proposed geographic service delivery area )

A B ETTER O UTREACH S TRATEGY : E NHANCING V ETERAN P ARTICIPATION 9  “ Word of mouth”  Materials dropped off or presentations made at CoC member agencies  Referral from own agency  Referral from VA Medical Center  Homeless Programs office  GPD liaison  HUD-VASH Liaison  Community Resource and Referral Center

M AJOR C OMPONENTS 10  Materials in the Community  Smart Hiring  Creative Connections  Documented Community Presence

O UTREACH E LEMENTS – S TAND DOWN 11  Must be a separate application  Grantee should be sponsoring, hosting, or involved in the Stand Down  NCHV’s Stand Down Registry

O UTREACH E LEMENTS – CRRC 12  Community Referral and Resource Centers  HVRP’s should be linked to CRRC if one is available in their area  Limited availability but locations are growing  CRRC’s act as a community hub for outside entities to engage veterans and make referrals

O UTREACH E LEMENTS – CRRC S 13  Akron, OH  Atlanta, GA  Chicago, IL  Cleveland, OH  Denver, CO  Des Moines, IA  Detroit, MI  Harlem / NYC  Las Vegas, NV  Minneapolis, MN  New Orleans, LA  Omaha, NE  Philadelphia, PA  Phoenix, AZ  Portland, OR  San Francisco, CA  Washington, DC

A B ASIC O UTREACH S TRATEGY 14  Referrals to the program  Presentations at VFW, AL, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens, and women’s programs  Referrals from VA (GPD)  Presentations at American Job Centers  Referrals back to the community  VA or VSOs for VA benefits  American Job Center  To the VA (HUD-VASH; benefits; housing)

A WORD ABOUT OUTREACH AND RURAL HOMELESSNESS AMONG VETERANS  Fewer veterans in rural areas  Rural strategies different than urban ones  Higher rates of poverty  Transportation and distance obvious challenges 15

M AJOR C OMPONENTS 16  Presentations  Outreach materials  Targeting outreach services  Strategic access points

P RESENTATIONS 17  Provide coordinated training services to partner staff members  Become part of a regularly scheduled meeting  Offer to travel  Offer a call-in  Bring materials

T ARGETING O UTREACH 18 Community partners providing veteran-specific services:  SSVF Program  VFW  American Legion  Disabled American Veterans  Veteran Treatment Courts

T ARGETING O UTREACH 19 Community partners providing homeless/at-risk services:  Homeless shelters  Domestic violence shelters  Soup kitchens/Food pantries  Housing providers  Homeless Courts

T ARGETING O UTREACH 20 Faith-Based Community  Local churches  YWCA  Salvation Army  Goodwill Industries

T ARGETING O UTREACH 21 Education systems  Preschools  Elementary schools  Afterschool programs, especially those for low-income individuals  College/university student veteran groups  College/university campus counseling centers

T ARGETING O UTREACH 22 Partners within the VA Medical Center  Homeless Programs Staff members  OIF/OEF Coordinator, HUD-VASH Liaison,GPD Liaison, Women Veteran Coordinator  CRRCs  Vet Centers  CWT  VR&E  Domiciliary care  Medical staff

T ARGETING O UTREACH 23 Local Government  Local Continuum of Care (CoC)  Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs  City Commissioners  Community planning agencies  State Department of Veterans Affairs  Local Office of Human Services  County Mental Health Services

T ARGETING O UTREACH 24  Local Continuum of Care (CoC)*  Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs  City Commissioners  Community planning agencies  State Department of Veterans Affairs  Local Office of Human Services  County Mental Health Services

S TRATEGIC A CCESS P OINTS 25 Continuum of Care and local Interagency Council on Homelessness (ICH)  Membership on CoC Planning Committee  Membership on CoC sub-group committees  Participant representation at CoC meetings  Active engagement with ICH

S TRATEGIC A CCESS P OINTS 26 American Job Centers (Workforce Center)  Established referral process  Formal MOU/service contract preferable  Co-located DVOP/LVER

HVRP O UTREACH  The veteran community is close knit, and the homeless veteran community is even more so. Programs and staff members that do right by their veteran clients and follow through with their obligations will carry a lot of weight. 27

O UTREACH B EST P RACTICES Using Smart Technologies  Using electronic devices (like smart phones and tablets) with applications that could access forms, resources, and client records while working remotely conducting outreach.  This would also better coordinate services and reduce duplication of services. 28

O UTREACH - C OMMUNITY  Community organization partnerships are key for successful outreach.  Educating partners about your program will help ensure good client handoffs and referrals. 29

O UTREACH –S OCIAL M EDIA  HVRP should make use of Social Media which can be a great tool to reach out to new and existing clients, typically younger and current conflict veterans tend to use social media for information and communication and using this technology can be a great way to engage this demographic. 30

O UTREACH –S OCIAL M EDIA  Facebook  Twitter  LinkedIn  Hootsuite (aggregator)  Blogs 31

P HYSICAL M EDIA  HVRP also makes use of print media such as flyers and brochures, and other physical media can show potential clients what the program does, what its hours of operation are, contact information, and more. 32

Q UESTIONS AND C OMMENTS  Concerns?  Common misconceptions?  What about “Street” outreach?  Looking ahead. 33

H ERE TO H ELP Contact me any time with any issues big or small! Ian Lisman Senior Program Associate Advocates for Human Potential Middlebrook Road, Suite 480. Germantown, MD Mobile: